Optimism and Faith

Compiled By Adam Dickter

Despite a history of tragedy, Judaism is a faith rich with optimism. Like life itself, the Jewish calendar cycles from solemnity to joy, from the soul-searching and fasting of Yom Kippur and the Ninth of Av to the festivity of Chanukah and Simchat Torah. We learn of Joseph emerging from the pit where he was thrown by his brothers to be a prince of Egypt. From the wreckage of his life, Job clung to his faith in God and redemption. Daniel emerged from the Lion’s den unscathed.

Our tradition is rich with thinkers who inspired us to see the rainbow beyond the clouds. In the ruins of Jerusalem in 70 CE, Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph comforted his students with his faith in the prophecy that the city would rise once again. In the 12th Century, Maimonides noted in his “Guide To The Perplexed” that “the world is ordered and beautiful, even if it seems ordered against us.”